Cigar handling mechanism



Feb. 19, 1935. v H. s. AxcELL 1,991,835

' CIGAR HANDLING MECHANISM Filed March 22, 1950 Patented Feb. 19, 1935 UNITED STATES PATE-Nro'FFlcE Bayuk Cigars Incorporated, Philadelphia, Pa.,I a corporation of Maryland Application March 22, 1930, serial `N'Q."'137,5s 'L Y 9 claims. (or isi-fas) This invention relates to a cigar handling mechanism and particularly to a conveying arrangement for a cigar. f

VHeretofore it has been customary to transfer by hand cigars from the machine in which they were wrapped with foil or paper to a banding machine. This has necessitated the use of an operatorand caused a consequent slowing down of operation.

t is the broad object of the present invention to provide means for transferring the wrapped cigar from the wrapping mechanism to the banding mechanism. More specifically it is the object of the invention to provide a conveying mechanism timed with respect to 'the other machines which isso arranged that it will maintain the foil in propercondition, wrapping the cigar. until the cigar is located in position to have the bands placed thereon. Y Y

Other detailed objects relating tofmeans for adjusting and driving the mechanism and for transferring the cigars, etc. will be apparent 'from the following description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a plan View of a portion of a mechanism embodying the present invention, parts being broken away for clearness; y Y z Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 ofFig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view ofA thedriving mechanism disassociated from the other parts; and

Fig'. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

There is illustrated at 2 diagrammatically the wrapping machine from which the cigars are arranged to be conveyed to the banding machine diagrammatically illustrated at 4. Since both of these machines are old in their details of construction, only so much of each is shown as is necessary to illustrate its connection and operative relationship with the intermediate conveying means. Y

The conveyor consists essentially of a conveying chain 6 and its associated parts, this conveying chain being supported to move over a suitable table by idle sprockets V8 and 10, being driven by a sprocket 12, the details of driving of which will be later pointed out.

The chain 6 carries a number of outwardly projecting lingers 14 secured to the links and spaced a distance somewhat greater than the length of a cigar. Along the active stretch of the conveyor chain and in parallelism therewith is arranged a guide plate 16 urged inwardly toward the chain by a spring 18 surrounding guiding pins 20 slidably mounted in upstanding lugs in the frame, as illustrated in detail in Fig. 4. This guiding plate 16 serves to press the wrapped cigars c against the links of the chain between the fingers 14 and serves-to maintain the foil against unwrapping "during the conveyance of the cigars inthe directionV indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1 from the wrapping machine to the banding machine. In order to maintain the active stretch of the chain ina straight path a backing guide 22 is provided against which the links move. Preferably the chain and its associated parts are covered by a hinged cover 24 during normal operation.

In order to secure a properly timed step by step operation of the chain 6, it is suitably driven by connections from the driving mechanism of the wrapping machine. Suitably mounted on a shaft driven in properly fixed timed relation to the driving devices of the wrapping machine is a cam 26 provided Vwith a groove acting upon a follower on the end of a lever 28 so as to oscillateV thelever. Pivoted to the opposite end of the lever is a rack 30 meshing with a pinion 32. Accordingly,` as the cam 26 rotates, an oscillatory motion is imparted to the pinion 32. This pinion is loosely mounted upon a shaft 34 and carries a plate t0 which pawls 36 are pivoted, these pawls being arranged to` act upon a ratchet 38 secured to the shaft 34. `It will be `seen that there isthus imparted step Aby step movement in one direction to the shaft 34. The upper end of this shaft carries a plate v40 f provided with arcuate slots 42 through which pass bolts 44 into the sprocket 12. By reason of this arrangement it is possible to adjust the angular relationship between the sprocket 12 and the shaft 34 so as to bring the proper portion of the belt into position to receive a cigar, this adjustment. being particularly useful when different sizes of cigars are being handled by the same machine, the adjustment being made to suit the size of cigar.

The cigar is carried from the wrapping mechanism and located in operative engagement with the conveyor by the mechanism shown most clearly in Fig.- 2, which mechanism is a part of the wrapping machine commonly in use. Since only part of this mechanism is directly associated with the conveyor, only that portion will be described which is necessary to understand the receiving action of the conveyor. The cigar as received from a part of the wrapping mechanism is engaged in a seat 46 in a member 48 secured to a shaft 50 which is urged in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 2, by a light spring 51. The cigar c is held in its seated position by lingers 52 loosely journalled on the shaft 50 and link connected, as indicated at 54, with an oscillating arm on a shaft moving in unison with the moving part of the wrapping machine. Through the medium of this mechanism the cigar is moved from the position indicated in Fig. 2 in which it is received in the seat 46 to a position engaging the table of the conveying mechanism, this being effected through a clockwise movement of ngers 52 under the action of the link 54. As thecigar reaches the table a finger 62 carried by an arm 6G pivoted to the upper ends of the oscillating links 56 and 58 carries it beneath the spring detent 64 into engagement with the chain 6 for'- wardly of a finger 14.

It will be understood that the finger 62 and fingers 52 are moved in properly timed relationship by suitable connections to the 'Wrap-A ping mechanism, this arrangement being of the usual type serving heretofore to Amove the cigars successively upon a receiving table. At the time when the cigar is engaged with the chain 6, the chain is stationary. As the finger retracts upward movement of the cigar is prevented by the yielding engagement effected by the spring nger 64. Thereafter the chain is given a step movement suiicient to carry the cigar in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1 and bring an empty stretch of` chain in position to receive a subsequent cigar.

It will thus be seen that a series of cigars are carried by a chain to the left, as viewed in Fig. 1, being discharged at the left of the belt through suitable guides, the tip of the cigar at the time of discharge engaging a clutch control 66 which starts the bandingl machine in operation to band the cigars and then move them laterally by means indicated at 68 in the direction of the arrow at the left of Fig. 1.

It is obvious that various changes may be made in the details of the mechanism illustrated Without departing from the scope of the invention as dened by the following claims.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination, an endless exible conveyor having cigar engaging portions arranged to engage ends of cigars to move them longitudinally, and means for feeding cigars transversely to the conveyor.

2. In combination, an endless flexible conveyor having cigar engaging portions arranged to engage ends of cigars to move them longitudinally, means for intermittently moving the conveyor, and means for feeding cigars transversely to the conveyor when the conveyor is stationary.

3. In combination, an endless flexible conveyor having cigar engaging portions arranged to engage ends of cigars to movethem longitudinally, means for feeding cigars transversely to the conveyor, and means for yieldingly holding the cigars in engagement with the conveyor.

4. In combination, an endless flexible conveyor having cigar engaging portions arranged to engage ends'of cigars to move them longitudinally, and means for moving cigars transversely when they reach a predetermined position under the action of the conveyor.

5. In combination, an endless exible conveyor having cigar engaging portions arranged to yengage ends of cigars to move them longitudinally, and means for removing cigars from the conveyor when they reach a predetermined position under the action of saidconveyor.

6. In combination, an endless flexible conveyor having cigar engaging portions arranged to engage ends of cigars to move them longitudi-v nally, and means for feeding cigars to the con. veyor. y*

7. In combination, an intermittently operating endless flexible conveyor having cigarengaging portions arranged to engage ends of cigars to move them longitudinally, and means for feeding cigars tothe conveyor when the conveyor is stationary.

8. In combination, an endless fiexible conveyor having cigar engaging portions arranged to advance cigars, means for locating cigars to be advanced bythe conveyor, and means for receiving cigars from the conveyor and moving them in a different direction to their previous advance but with their axes'in the same plane during both movements.

9. In combinationfan intermittently operating endless flexible .conveyor having cigar engaging portions arranged to advance cigars,

means for locating. cigars while the conveyorY is stationary to be advanced by the conveyor, and means for receivingl cigars from ,the conveyor and moving them in a different direction to their previous advance but with their axes in the same plane during both movements.

' HALGE S. AXCELL. 

